


Eabha

by RiverRadagain



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 13,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverRadagain/pseuds/RiverRadagain
Summary: A tale in dribbles where Sigurd and Eivor navigate through life and their love for each other. *Warning*  This work will contain spoilers!!
Relationships: Eivor Wolfkissed/ Ivarr the Boneless, Eivor Wolfkissed/ Ubba Ragnarsson, Eivor/Dag, Eivor/Leofrith (Assassin's Creed), Eivor/Sigurd Styrbjornson, Hytham/Randvi (Assassin's Creed), Sigurd Strybjornson/Randvi, Sigurd Styrbjornson/Eivor Wolfkissed, Sigurd Styrbjornson/Female Eivor
Comments: 49
Kudos: 155





	1. Cruel News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eabha Meaning: life, to breath

Chapter One: 

It was a quick knife to the gut to hear the news of Sigurd’s pledging to our neighboring village. An alliance through marriage with the fox clan. It’s Jarls health was quickly deteriorating and he had birthed only daughters. 

Randvi, that was her name. She was red of hair, a beauty with a quick wit and a knack for gathering intelligence. She’d be a boon to our clan even I could see that. 

Sigurd didn’t seem as pleased as he should to have such a prize linked to his arm, destined to warm his bed through every cold night. 

“Randvi of the fox clan, she’s as fine a match as any for a fool like you brother.” 

“Ha! If I’m a fool then what does that make you? Last time I checked you proudly followed me.” 

“It makes her a half-wit with a well timed silver tongue.” Dag cut in as he seated himself beside Eivor his hand already ruffling her hair. She had half the mind to gut him for the insult, but Sigurds laughter stayed her hand. 

“So when’s the wedding then?” She quickly counted the ways she could kill him without banishment from the clan. The last thing she needed was Dag digging the knife deeper with that stupid smile on his face. 

“In a fortnight.” Sigurd answered, the knife in her gut twisted and she felt her innards tear.


	2. Oh What a Fool

Chapter Two: 

It was a wonderful wedding, my father had made sure of that. 

Randvi was a beautiful bride, but she wasn’t who I'd have chosen if given the chance. 

The woman I coveted was currently across the hall nursing yet another pint of ale. From the way she's swaying it's clear she's already had a horn to many. 

Surrounded by our clans men, young and old alike Eivor was a sight to behold for all. Even more so in a battle. She could turn the tides of any viking, and there was nothing more thrilling than watching her fight. 

Someone from the fox clan clapped her on the shoulder, and she turned her head. A bright smile, and a belly full of laughter. His eyes found the scar at the back of her neck, the wolf's kiss. She had lost both her parents and nearly her life the night that mark was gifted to her. It wasn’t my first failure, but that was the hardest one for me to take. 

If she’d been anyone else she would’ve been that wolf's meal and I would have woken to her more than bloodied, but mangled corpse instead. 

Dag leaned in and whispered into her ear something that turned her bright blues towards him. The sight stole my breath in an instant, and soured my mood the next when he gestured out the door imploring her to follow. 

He had confided in me earlier, that he planned to confess, he was nervous beyond what I had ever seen. My closest friend and confidant, but even he had never learned of my feelings for her. So how could I blame him, you'd be a fool not to fall for a raider like Eivor. 

I don’t know which outcome was better or what consequence would be worse. 

She would either accept him or reject him. Her acceptance would mean an eventual marriage, and though he currently had a new wife of his own that wasn’t a future he’d want to see. 

Should she refuse him, then Dag was sure to be an ass to her for the rest of their summers on this earth. 

Still I hope she rejects him. As selfish as that is, If I must play the fool then I’d rather deal with the ass than the lover.


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes, we set out at dawn.” 

“Where are you headed?”

“We’re headed east to Rome first, then maybe back west. I’d like to see the shores of England depicted in all the songs of Ragnar the Skals have sung.”

“How long will you be gone?” 

“One, maybe two summers…” 

“Let me come with you?”

“I need you here Eivor, to protect the clan while I'm away.” It was painful for both of them to part ways. The knowledge that they would be apart dug it's claws in deep like a bear and ripped at every uneven seam. 

“Take Dag with you then, he’s an ass, and I could use a break from all his mopping.” His heart lifted at the reminder, he had never felt lighter then when Dag had stormed back to the hall, eyes aligned with anger. Eivor’s smile had turned into a small scowl as she moved farther away from him. Their eyes had met across the hall, and with a shake of her head he knew she was still yet unclaimed, unpromised, and without pledge. 

'I'd wager that makes me a selfish fool to take so much glee from the suffering of a friend...'

“That’s because you broke his heart.” Sigurd answered with a laugh. 

“He’s lucky I didn’t break his wrist.” 

“Come now, would a match like Dag really be so distasteful?” 

Randvi inquired as she approached from behind, six moons by my side and still she knew nothing of my heart. 'Best to keep it that way. Bad blood between then would only cause trouble.'

“His love language is all wrong for my taste. Should his hand ever make purchase of my skin without permission again he will not be so lucky as to simply sulk away.” 

Visions of Dag's possible deaths danced behind both their eyes. There was no greater disrespect to a woman then to lay an unwanted hand on her person without her consent. Eivor would've been well within her rights to take compensation from him and relieve him of his family jewels, since they had lead him so astray. 

'She's kinder than most for leaving him intact, must be the friendship we've built together that stayed her blade.'

“Ah, better I leave him with you then. So that your heart does not change its mind in the wake of his absence.” 

“As if that were ever a possibility.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If any of you can think of a clever title for this chapter do not hesitate to let me know!! I hope you all enjoyed the story so far!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

_Eivor,_

_I find the cold of Europe can never rival that of our home. It’s breeze is far less frigid and it's mountains less steep. These things I find curiously are what makes me miss home the most. As I am often reminded of all our travels amongst those familiar cliffs._

_Tell me did Bell ever find her comb?_

_Their jarls here call themselves greater than kings, they’ve named themselves Emperors. Strangely enough though they see themselves as far superior to any other title; they answer to a committee of advisors who call themselves the Senate. If they so decided this “Senate” can take action against the Emperor and remove them from power. Something that gives these would be, “ultimate rulers” great pause._

_I’ve never met a Jarl who’s word was not final before._

_We set sail to the west with the waning of the moon, that’s not even a fortnight from now._

_How I long to see the warmer shores of our neighbors, yet I know that my head will turn into the frigid wind from our home and I will bask in its chilling caress while it lasts._

_Home will forever hold my heart as long as she houses our people._

_Give Dvi my love, as I do not know when next I’ll have the chance to write home; messenger ravens are rare in these travels and only ravens can take the cold._

_Your brother, now and forever._

_Sigurd_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

_Sigurd,_

_I saw to it that Randvi did receive your love, though she was crestfallen to learn that no letter was sent directly for her._

_She says your shared bed grows colder with every night while the days run ever quicker towards the frozen tundra of our winters. A letter from you might warm her in your furthered absence._

_Strange it seems that it is the cold you miss, and not the warmth of our people even in its mist. Perhaps the heat you’ll discover on our western waters will warm your chilling thoughts._

_Bell did find her comb. Rather, she sent word of competition and offered a startling reward. Company to the conqueror, as much or as little as they like. It was buried deep into the ever frigid pools of the waterfall where I received my kiss. The summer sun did nothing to warm the waters that deep and I found even my fingertips were blue by the time I broke the surface._

_She asked if I would enjoy her company, as I’ve denied all others the victory by claiming it for myself._

_I had thought to save her from the unwanted attention of those who were so fearful of the cold depths. Though I declined her offer, it seems she’s lost her comb again through all my efforts._

_It’s hard to believe you’ve been gone for almost a full winter. Some nights I still see you standing at the helm of our longship basking in the breeze as you’ve described. You did that quite often even before you left home…_

_I wondered if you were even bothered by the cold._

_Always your kin,_

_Eivor_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

_Eivor,_

_We made for the Black Sea, further inland to Constantinople._

_Whispers of a worthy viking, and a promise of a bountiful plunder changed our course. It saddens me that I will not see the shores of home even in passing but the prize was too great to pass up. England will be there for future expeditions lest the Sea rises and swallows her whole._

_I’ve made a friend here who calls himself Basim. He dresses in such strange garb and to catch him without a hood in public is rare. But his schemes are a boon to my endeavors and he offers a kinship that I have sorely missed since I left home._

_The days here grow cold, and nearly rival the feel of home. I miss you more these days, as I look forward to these plentiful raids I often find myself sharing tales of us and our early vikings. Basim must tire of how much I speak of such things but your name is never far from my lips._

_Nearly two summers have past since we parted ways, and I wonder if you miss me as deeply as I miss you…_

_What would you say to me should you ever find out how my heart calls out so desperately for you, or the ache I’ve felt in the very center of my being since we’ve parted ways._

_It does not grow weaker but stronger the longer I go without sight of an end where I will get to see you and hold you again…._

“Sigurd, it is time. If we don’t make for the Abbey now we might miss our chance.”

“Right, let us go a viking then!”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

_Sigurd,_

_I haven’t heard word from you in nearly a summer, I have noticed the ravens fly directly to your father now. He says your voyage if fairing favorably and Randvi hangs onto every word you write her. I have found her sleeping with your letters clutched in her arms._

_Seems I was correct that your words offer her great comfort through this lonely time, but try not to forget me so often brother..._

_There’s news of Kjotve the Cruel, he’s warring near our borders and made an outpost not a nights voyage from our shores._

_I propositioned your father that I might be allowed leave to meet him head on and answer the insult he dealt us so many years ago._

_He thinks I’m being too rash, and forbids me from journeying anywhere near those waters._

_Me and my men set sail on the marrow. I know it will anger your father but it will be worth it to feel that oath breakers blood coat my blade. I promise you this brother come Hel or high waters Kjotve the Cruel will answer for his sins._

_If only you were home to join me on this venture._

_Eivor._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

_Eivor,_

_I write you often, but I can never contain myself from saying too much._

_Words of adoration, and devotion pour from my ink and dry on pages that I know I can never send._

_Yours are the journal I’ve kept, and my own words are both a bane and a comfort in the night._

_It is not Randvi that I dream of holding in my idle time, or her laughter that I hear carried on the wind. Though she receives my words because she may it is your battle cry which echoes mine in every valley, and our victories are made in your name in my mind._

_Do not think I am cruel, but I can not keep my words to myself when there is no one to judge. So I must keep your letters private as it's better you feel forgotten by me, rather then you know the way I crave you, or how depraved a man I have become._

_Should you ever learn of the wicked whispers my mind conjures of you, of us. The tryst we make and the sounds it promises only I could pull from your lips as I work to steal your breath, just as mere illusions of you continue to steal mine. You would never worry that you have wandered to far from my mind again…_

“Sigurd, there’s word that Eivor has been captured by Kjotve the Cruel! He means to sell her as a thrall.”

“Surely you jest! Eivor would never allow herself to be captured.”

“No the news came from a messenger raven we’ve just intercepted, it was one of Kjotve’s own!”

“Raise the anchors and lower the sails then, we must hasten home!”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

_Valka suggested I start keeping a journal for my dreams... Visions she calls them. Whispers of the past and the future._

_To betray Sigurd is my destiny, or so she says. But I refuse such a fate, how could I betray him? My brother, my love…_

_Or perhaps I have already, is it not a betrayal to love him when I should not?_

_Or is it a betrayal to myself and my truth to hide how I feel?_

_To tell him would be a betrayal to my clan, should they learn that I covet my kin. He is my brother, though only in name…_

_He holds another, and Randvi is a friend. That would definitely be a betrayal._

_Though we only grew close through our shared concern and worry of him. She deserves to be loved, and even more she doesn’t deserve so cruel a fate as to have her sister crave her man. Least she can rest assured that he is hers, as he puts quill to paper in messages for her and it has been a full summer since I last received a reply._

_She said the last word we received was that Sigurd would return with the sun come the marrow. Will I be able to contain myself from rushing to his side, or stop myself from crushing into him? I miss his hugs, his jests and petty taunts. I missed him more than I know how to manage in the cold of our own home._

_I moved out of the longhouse some time ago, I found housing with the other jorvikings in the barracks instead._

_Dag has only grown worse in these past two summers since he asked for my courting the day of my brother's wedding. Moving into the barracks certainly did not help that situation. If anything the more he’s exposed to my presence the greater his ire grows._

_I’m starting to believe he could even hate me for rejecting his suite, but there’s only one man I want..._

_Funny that I escaped Kjovte’s clutches, only to be plagued with more than just the burden of my failures._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Oh how I missed these feast, and the way our people celebrate a victory. But the sight I missed the most were the dazed sky blue eyes of Eivor and the way she brightened when I honored her with my gift. Basim and his student Hytham weren’t pleased to see the blade I offered her was one of their hidden ones but I care not what they think.

Especially since I saw the way Hythams eyes wandered her form when I was making introductions. It was a little too appreciative for my taste. Basim’s cool indifference towards her was much better.

At least he won't be another repeat of Dag and his affections. Though I was not the only one moved to see her swiftly master the blade and all its varieties…

_Eivor,_

_Randvi is asleep in our bed, her mood sour and her words of contempt still ring in my head. She’s angry that I haven’t bedded her, to be truthful I have not touched her in many cycles. I can’t bring myself to sword plow her, not since our wedding night._

_It was my duty to consummate our union, yet I barely made it through until thoughts of you invaded my mind._

_She’s a beautiful woman._

_She deserves better than this, and my father wants us to bear children soon._

_“Have loads of them Sigurd, sow as many oats into your woman as you can while you have her!”_

_If only he knew the only woman I dream of watching grow round with my seed is you._

_The mead was strong and I am tired, weary from my journey. But sleep eludes me still as everytime I close my eyes I see you sprinting down the hill from the longhouse and straight into my waiting arms._

_I was so thankful you were safe, because Fornburg didn’t feel like home until I knew you were in it._

_I couldn’t say it in my last letter to you then, and I still have no right to tell you now. But I learned near two summers ago that home was never this place or the people it housed…_

_No, home for me, has always been you._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

_I failed to hold myself back when he returned. Instead of calmly approaching the harbor and keeping clear eyes on the fjord like I planned, all maturity fled me once Randvi huffed the news of his sail being spotted on the horizon. I sprinted, the air had already left my lungs so they knew no different to the burn that my swift motion made._

_I’m certain that Jarl knows. When he approached to see me braced deep into the limbs of his son his eyes held such a harsh reproach for my actions that no words were needed._

_He was more upset to see me cling to Sigurd so thoroughly than he was with my disobedience. At least Sigurd returned my affections and held me as close as I had him._

_Randvi looked moved to tears to see him, and after all the nights where she had clung so desperately to hope and letter for the man, I was equally surprised to see him not hug her with the same favor._

_Surprised, but pleased…_

_I do not like this Baism, he reeks of treachery and his eyes hold many secrets. The fact that he’s taken up such a close position with Sigurd does little to set my mind at ease. Sigurd is not such a fine judge when it comes to measuring a man's character. Often any man with a deft ability at espionage and her many faces will win over his favor._

_He treats the man like kin, but he is no brother of mine._

_Wait.. I think I heard something outside. I do not like this, those steps do not sound familiar and they move with too careful a measure. I shall return._


	12. Chapter 12

_Eivor,_

_Odin help me, you’re a sight, furs soaked in blood and eyes alight with rage._

_I think father knows. I could see it in his eyes while I was pleading for the leave to attack Kjotve. His mind was elsewhere._

_What did he say to you when you held back? Whatever it was you didn’t seem pleased._

_We’ve conquered the forward camp, and now we wait for you to join us. I’m anxious and jittery like I was on my first voyage._

_I want you by my side but I worry I wont be able to focus._

_~_

_By the gods, I forgot what a thrill it was to watch you in battle. Seeing you face Kjotve the cruel in a holmgang rushed blood to my sword and left it harder then the steel that still sung in my hand._

_I am sorry for the dishonor that Hytham caused by trying to interfere, but to watch him be bested by Kjotvev with a swing of his arm while you emerged victorious is something I would pay to see again._

_~_

_I’ve grown brash in the time we've spent apart. I can not still idlily by while someone watches you with an apprising eye. I approached him when he woke after the fight was over, the chaos of battle still settling in the air._

“Perhaps now you can see how misplaced your ire was when I offered her my gift. She’s better than a hundred men put together on the field of battle, does that not make her worthy of such a weapon? No? Still you hesitate to acknowledge her talents, is it because she's a woman? Yes boy, I can tell by the look in your eyes that you are more interested her sex, then you are appreciative of the fact that she's a warrior. Do not think I have not noticed, you offered her a great insult today when you involved yourself in her holmgang. Be thankful to your gods that justice was served quick, and not by my hand, or you may not have survived... I'll leave you with this, to covet her when you can offer so little, both in honor and skill is an insult to my clan. Do not make such mistakes again.”

_Hytham for what it's worth hardly flinched at my threat. Though his eyes still sought you out when he recovered, the new found adoration that shone in their depths when you drew closer did not sit well with my dinner._

_If he continues to pursue you even though he does not deserve you, I believe I will need more mead. Less I am tempted to relieve his head from his shoulders._

_Basim would not be pleased..._

Hytham's hand fell to her shoulder and offered a squeeze not unnoticed by Sigurd's prying eyes at the head of the hall, quill in hand and ink covered paper before him.

Their eyes clashed with the entire clan between them, a challenging smirk danced across foreign lips.

Sigurd scowled.

_Or the one in his pants._


	13. Chapter 13

_Styrbjorn doesn’t approve._

_He thinks I’ll lead his son into a storm that will take his life. I couldn’t keep the echoes of Valka’s warning of my destiny from darkening my heart as his words made purchase and settled in my mind._

_I believe he wishes I had been born a son to my father instead. Maybe then I wouldn’t love Sigurd the way one loves a man. But I think, be I a woman or man I would still love him the same, more than a brother, and far greater than a friend._

_When I was younger I used to dream of our future together. Visions of us wedding and bedding haunted me every evening, at least then the morning came without a serving of guilt and regret. Most of my depraved thoughts were kept to quiet moments. After the time we’ve spent apart I find that they come more frequently now, often at the most inconvenient of times._

_I wonder what it would be like to take his sword in hand and offer him my sheath. I wager he’s a decent sword plower, if his agility in battle is anything to go on then he surely has the stamina of a horse._

_I should stop this, these thoughts do me no good. Perhaps I should find someone else to plow me, then I might get past this fancy._

_Hytham is well looking enough… but I doubt he would please me like Sigurd would._

_He’s fairing well, he woke a few hours after the battle but he won't be joining the rest of us on the way to King Harold’s territory. He will be staying with the majority of our men as they make their way back to Fornburg. His fall was broken by come sturdy crates and he requires more time to heal._

_He assured me that he was fine, and apologized for interfering with my fight. He asked for the token I found on Kjotve’s body after I bested him, he seemed rather pleased that I offered it to him so easily._

_No words of thanks were offered as he took the silver emblem but he squeezed my shoulder in gratitude and didn't remove his hand. His smile was strange as he looked past me to Basim, perhaps proud that he still managed to come into possession of it._

_I guess it was of some importance, but it matters not, I have no need for such things._

_Sigurd stormed from the keep just after the feast with Basim hot on his heels. His longship was loaded and gone before the rest of our men had drunk their fill._

_I’m to make for the wandering King's territory when the sun rises, and as the moon descends the heavens I know sleep will not claim me tonight. Writing my thoughts by candlelight will be my only company._

_I’m disquieted by the notion that something is about to happen. It feels like the eve of battle is upon us, yet the battle is already won._

_Maybe it’s because Gorm got away, this victory doesn’t feel full when his mens blood coats my blade but he does not._

_Perhaps it’s the way Sigurd seems to so easily leave me behind. Ever since he’s come home I feel as if I can hardly catch my breath before having to chase after him again._

_Why is it always Basim at his side?_

_There are too many thoughts racing through my mind. I know not what Odin wills, but I can’t help but feel that come the marrow, life will never be the same._

~

I found them in a tavern, Sigurd more than a pint deep in honey mead.

Gorm the coward stood across the room sure in his safety from my blade.

I want to gut him for the way he clings to the dishonor of his kin. Say what you will about Kjotve the Oathbreaker, the Cruel.

At least he never abandoned his men in the heat of a battle so that he may live another day longer while they did not.

How his remaining men can still follow him, I do not know.

Taking the spot next to Sigurd on the bench, Basim smirked at me from across the table.

‘I’m starting to wish I was born a man, since the company my brother often keeps favors them…’

“You’ve just won your heart’s desire, Evior. Yet by the look on your face, you’ve lost the will to live.”

“Gorm is here with the last of his men. Why does that troll dare to show his face?” I blamed my ire on him. Yet my mood was more soured by the thought of Basim as Sigurd's lover.

Sigurd deflated, his eyes falling to his cup and his shoulders hunched forward.

*Sigh* “Leave it for another day. We’re here under Heralds truce. And Gorm is too weak to try anything bold.”


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

_Eivor,_

_I had to leave, I couldn’t concentrate with you right there next to me. Your heat seeping into my side, reminded of my dream from the night prior._

_Where I woke with you naked and spent in my loving arms. My cloak was draped across the headboard and you were my wife._

_It’s crushing to know that is a fate I can not have, the gods are cruel, because they taunt me with visions of what could’ve been._

_Worse is the news that I discovered when I found my father. He means to make truce by offering your pledge to the wandering King._

“He’s a fine King son, and he needs a woman at his side. The daughter of a Jarl would be a fine match, and she’s a warrior too. She can be offered as the boon from our clan to his, and link us for all the summers to come.”

“Eivor is not ours to barter with father, her body is her own and the decision must be made by her if she is to wed. We owe her no less for the way she’s honored our clan.”

“Ey, and I’ll speak with her. But after the gathering… for now let us go to the longhouse there are many things which still need to be discussed between King Harold and I.”

_I pray you tell my father no. I can not watch you marry another Jarl, not with the memory of what could’ve been so fresh in my mind's eye._

_Should you say no, let that be enough to stay my foolish fathers hand. I have never out right disobeyed him before, but if he presses this issue I will break from him._

_Maybe then you and I can steal away in the middle of the night and be wed by the moon with all of Jörd as our witness._

_That is of course if you love me too._

I spotted you entering the grand hall, and my heart caught in my throat. Gorm has yet to arrive and Basim was not by your side like I had bid him to.

“Please tell me Gorm lives.” I had to ask, to settle my nerves and hopefully to distract you as I shoved another one of my letters to you into my armor. I want so badly for there to be a future where you can read them all, and know of my love for you.

“He lives.”

“Thank you, Eivor.”  
~

_My father is a fool._

_To bend the knee to Harold and steal my seat without ever discussing it with me, I will not allow it. My people will be free from this would be: King of the Norse._

_Thank the gods you were with me on this, I could not leave you behind again._

_We make for England together, with all our people behind us._

~

_It occurred to me three days in that breaking from my father makes me the Jarl of those who chose to follow._

_I am worried that I will not be a good one, I’m still battle hungry and selfish above all else._

_Should I mention these fears to you?_

_Would you think me less of a man if you knew?_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

_WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LEAVING ME BEHIND!_

_We’ve been in this settlement for naught a month, the longhouse has just barely been restored to some semblance of a working order and you're off again?_

_Oh:_ “I need you here, Eivor. There’s no one I trust more to lead our people in my stead.”

_UGH, you foolish man!_

_Here’s an idea why don’t YOU lead your people! The Ragnarsons will be there still even after we’ve become more settled._

_How dare you, you gave me the room of the Jarl in the longhouse and now you ask me to lead them without you._

_Do you ever plan on returning?_

_These are not meant to be my people to lead! We are not wed, and I am not the Jarl._

_Yet you left with Basim at the first opportunity, seeing his face beside you makes me want to wretch._

“I’ll call for you soon Eivor.”

_You shouldn’t have to call, I do not wish to wait on another raven that might never come. I want to be beside you, now and in the future. I want us to share in every endeavor…_

_~_

_I should take comfort in the fact that Randvi is here, her network of spies have already begun their reconnaissance of the lands and its people that surround us._

_There’s a plunder of resources all around. It would be best to take some raiders out and get the supplies that our settlement needs._

_There are still so many huts that need to be built, and now they are all looking to me for help._

_A whole moon cycle, that’s how long you’ve been gone._

_~_

_Sigurd,_

_Randvi sends word, your raven came in the morning bidding me to join you in Repton._

_I can not come, I am in Grantebridgescire where I mean to make an alliance with the Jarlskona of Grantebridge: Soma._

_She has a traitor in her mist, and to gain an alliance she requested that I snuff out the turncoat._

_I will pledge to Ledecestrescire once our allegiance is assured._

_Until then I am otherwise engaged._

_Your kin,_

Eivor


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

_Eivor,_

_News of our vastly growing settlement has reached my ears._

_I am proud to know that I’ve left the encampment in capable hands._

_Basim suggested that it might have been a mistake to entrust our home to you._

_He seems convinced that your loyalties are not as assured to me as I like to believe. He’d like me to think that your passion blinds you, and when I confronted him about the time he left your side when Gorm was around, he said you gave him the slip in the crowd._

_But I am also reminded of when King Harold offered you the decision on his sentencing, you could’ve taken his head. If you meant to kill him why did you request his banishment instead? I’ve never known Basim to lose a mark, that man is more talented at stalking and eavesdropping than I'd care to admit. At least he’s on our side, I’d hate to have him as an enemy…_

~

_Eivor,_

_What do you mean you can’t come?_

_Were you not begging to follow three moons ago?_

**_Am I not your Jarl?_ **

**_The Ragnarsons are not to be kept waiting, do not be a fool..._ **

_**Do not embarrass me Eivor, I’ve waited long enough.** _

**_Sigurd._ **

~

“Basim? Have you seen the parchment I was just writing on? I stepped away for but a moment and now it's gone.”

“No? What was it?”

“It was a letter to Eivor. I hadn’t finished it.”

“I’m certain it will turn up somewhere Sigurd, put it from your mind for now. Ubba would like a word.”


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

_Me?_

_I’m the fool?_

_Am I not doing the work of a Jarl in his stead?_

_Was it not five minutes ago I had to sit on his throne and listen to the troubles of his people?_

_Where was he: in Repton kissing the asses of the Ragnarsons._

_Randvi, his wife, said she could not do it, they would not listen to her._

_Dag had huffed in annoyance that I was willing to act, while no one else could._

_Somehow he thinks I wanted this, like I’ve always wanted to sit on your throne and lead your people._

_Now I see that somehow you are questioning the same, even a great distance away._

_WHY?_

_I swear to you it is not true, all I’ve ever wanted was to be by your side._

_My heart hurts, and my soul cries out for you._

_Since coming to this island it has felt like our future together is now less of a certainty than it was on the day of your wedding. At least then I had known the man you were and I had thought I could be certain of the man you would become._

_But I believe it is time I move on from this, from you and these feelings._

_These people will have at least one good Jarl, if that means I must behave as your Jarlskona in your stead; I will._

_~_

_Sigurd,_

_Fear not that I will embarrass you, I have finished my task and secured an alliance with Soma._

_Her traitor was a man called Galinn who was far more enamored with his “great destiny” than he was his loyalty to his clan. With the solidification of her pledge one of her most trusted advisors Birna has also joined the Ravens clan as a warrior, who now rides with me._

_It was a worthy endeavor as any to personally see to its completion, even if it meant denying you brother. Ravensthorpe and her people are better for it._

_I’ve pledged to Repton as I’ve promised, we'll set sail on the marrow._

_I pray thee trust that we chase the raven who carries this news to you._

_Randvi said it takes three days to reach your location._

_Look for me on the fourth. I will join you then._

_Your Kin,_

_Eivor._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

_Eivor,_

_Seems you've become a mind reader. Just as I finished reading your letter, you walked into the tent trailing behind Ivarr the Boneless._

_Whose body and eyes reeked of his interests, and I realized that more men than I can see the value of your presents in a war room._

_You, however, seemed tense, there was no hug offered to me after our long absence from each other._

_No instead you nodded your head, and set straight towards the map; while my open and welcoming arms stayed empty for the first time in many winters. By all the gods I swear I felt the frost set in where your warmth should’ve been._

_It feels like something has begun to come between us, suddenly my trust in you and I as a future was not absolute._

_~_

_How you take so quickly to your missions, and your surroundings is astounding._

_You traverse these hills and towns like you were reared in its allies and its people are your friends._

_You can scale a wall that seemed to me unclimbable, and take out an entire encampment of enemies single handedly with naught a note of obviousness except the ever growing stillness and the quiet that comes with._

_~_

_Did my eyes deceive me or did you cast an appreciative glance at that bloodied Thegn who stood beside his lord the King we mean to depose..._

_Loefilth, or something. If he was not already our enemy the sparkle I saw in your eyes, as you gave him a through once over would've placed him solidly in that position anyway_. 

~

_We lay in wait for you in Tamworth, Ubba has expressed a keen interest, and has asked questions that suggest it goes much farther than your capabilities as a warrior._

_He mentioned that you were a woman he’d be proud to grow old with, and I was reminded of how Dag used to praise you in a similar fashion._

_I pray the result of his fancy is the same._

_~_

_Ivarr the Boneless has become a thorn in my side, because he is never far from yours._

_He, just like his brother, has taken a liking to you it seems._ _I look at you and all I see is him, him, him, him._

_Who does he think he is to flit around you and place himself beside you? Ragnarson or not he is not entitled to your time and he is to cruel to make you his wife._

_Yet it was him you followed into our war tent, him who you went to assist in Ledecestre first, it was he who interrupted your interrogation of the lady with the severed head of a pig, and you thanked him for it. Now as I looked for you on the eve of battle it is him who you sit beside, horn in your hand and a belly full of laughter._

_I’m forced to remember that you are not mine, and your open pledge holds many a man's interest._

_Far more than I’d like_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

_How could he stand there with a smile and open arms as if I should run into them like I did in Fornburg._

_If my ire weren’t so great, and my determination to move on so solid, I would’ve found myself there._

_Nestled in the warmth of his arms certain of my safety in them. But I am a raider, **his** warrior, and to run to him would be weak, and foolish._

_I will not embarrass us both in front of the Ragnarsons…_

_~_

_Ivarr the Boneless, is terrifying. His humor is twisted and his bloodlust is unquenchable. What else can one expect when we meet over cries of pain and anguish?_

_That should’ve been a warning of the kind of man I was to encounter._

_Regardless of the fact that he is my ally, I find his presence sets me on edge. My gut tells me I can never fully trust him, which keeps me on my feet and thoroughly distracted._

_Distractions are good, just what I need._

_I fear my idle moments, because my feet may find their way into my brother's tent and words will spew from my lips that never should be said._

_My hands could wander the span of his chest, my fingers tracing the lines of his past. Tattoos and scars alike would lead their path._

_Basim is still around,_ _but it hardly matters now._

_He is not mine, nor will he ever be._

_I must have done something to Freyr in my past life for her to curse me with this unrequited love._

_But I pray to her now that I might be allowed another, anyone else. Because the days are hard and the nights are cruel, I can not keep these feelings to myself much longer._

_~_

_Thegn Leofrith, that's what Ceolbert said, he was the man who stood tall next to King Burgred of Mercia on the walls. What a sight he made even covered in wounds, marks that Ivarr bosted were placed there by his blade. For a moment I wanted to run Ivarr though for the injustice, my hand twitched towards my blade but I did not grab it._

_'Who am I to care what this man has suffered, he's the foe here.'_

_The child thinks he can be trusted, an honorable man. I wish his foolish notions were right but honorable men fight, live, and die by it._

_Honorable men do not change sides._

_'Still I bet he has a pretty face when it's not all sliced to bits.'_

_I am certain now that Freyr hates me, for the first man I’ve found genuinely intriguing since Sigurd must be a thane…_

_Worse yet one whose alignment lay with the enemy._

_Sigurd seemed ready to kill him where he stood, though I know not what brought on his aggravation, he seemed fine with him just moments before._

_~_

_I saw him in Ledecestre, twinging in pain as a physician wound dressings around his right elbow. He tensed and turned to where I was lurking in the shadows._

_Our eyes met, but if he noticed he did nothing to alert the others, simply stretched and turned back around to thank the priest for healing him. I was gone before he stood, I had to find Ceolbert after all._

_~_

_Ivarr’s interruption of my integration was crass, but the way the lady gaffed at the sight and paled proved that it wasn’t ineffective. She gave up her Lord husband's location, and our victory became certain. I don’t believe he’s ever received thanks for anything he’s done in the past. He looked like he expected a reproach from my lips when we fell behind the rest, and his eyes softened just enough that a part of me thought my gut might be wrong._

_I wanted to trust him, the soft misunderstood boy that I saw in that moment. But he was gone in the next breath._

_~_

_I saw the kind Ivarr again, as we drank together on the eve of battle._

_Both he and I are much more alike than I thought._ _Always trailing after an older brother. I wonder if this uneasy feeling he gives me is the same I cause in others._

_I am Eivor the Wolfkissed, and he is Ivarr the Boneless, both of us are named for the scars on our skin. Neither of us are fond of the memories the names bring to mind._

_He made a crude gesture and assured me he had a solid bone to offer. If I had, had a pint more, and Sigurd didn't cross our path at that very moment, then I might have taken him up on the offer._

_But Sigurd’s stare was chilling, and his ire was unlike any other I had seen in many years…_

_I took a step after him, and then another back. Basim was hot on his heels, and he did not look as if he wished for me to follow them._

‘Was it a lovers spat?’

_I excused myself from Ivarr to get another horn, and drank until my mind was gone._

_I dreamt that night of battle battered warrior Thanes and Sigurd's rage._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

“Sigurd, there you are. Follow me, I wish to speak with you about a matter of great importance.”

Ubba stepped through the war tent entrance holding the flap aside for me to follow behind him.

“What is it you wish to speak of?”

“It’s about your sister… You see I… Well the thing is... Is she…" *Sigh* He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I fear this is not my strong suit... Does she yet have a pledge?”

“As far as I know she has no suitor.” Even I could hear the way my tone became clipped and my shoulders tensed so much I’m certain my disdain for this conversation was obvious.

“Then might I bid you for her hand?”

“You wish for me to... gift… my sister to you?”

“Well… yes. She is like no other, and I am certain I’ll never find another.”

‘ _In all my years, I didn’t think I would ever be the one having to make the decisions for her hand. It never occurred to me that as her Jarl, men would start coming to me for her pledge._

__

_How do I tell a Ragnarson no? I have to tell him no… I can’t give to someone else what I covet. That would mean watching her be with them possibly for the rest of her days. Unless they divorced… which I would grant in an instant should this ever come to pass. If she wished for it, she’d have it; irregardless of how her husband would feel. I’m the one with final say on such things._

__

_Wait… A divorce! I can have a divorce!_

__

_My father would’ve never granted me one, but I am my own jarl now._

__

_By the gods why didn’t I think of this sooner! I could’ve ended things with Randvi before I set out, now it will have to wait until I return._

__

_Once I am free of these ties that bind me I can finally make my feelings known to Eivor._

__

_I can have her… A future with her, the one I’ve spent so many moons imagining: I can have it.’_

*Ahem* “What say ye, Sigurd?”

“What? Ah, my apologies, good friend. My mind was elsewhere. But I must deny you, I do not speak for Eivor, as my kin she deserves no less then to decide for herself who she will wed, or if she ever will.”

“But as her Jarl, you must give consent.”

“Ey, and that I will should she ever approach me with a man who has won her favor.”

_‘If I don’t run the lucky bastard through with the pointy end of my sword first…’_

_~_

_Eivor,_

_It's been three moons since we parted ways again, and I fear it was for the worst. My head hasn’t been on straight lately, I now hear whispers in the wind._

_Flashes of memories that can not be possible **plaque** me._

_The spirits, they guide my actions, willing me one way then the next._

_I’ve woken from slumber in cool sweats, calling out to the high one for justice._

_Basim is the only one who knows, as I’ve woken him many nights in a row._

_I wanted to visit Valka when I heard word of her arrival. But Basim assured me that what’s occurring is normal._

_He told me tales he heard in his travels: of the gods speaking to their successors, through visions of their past. All were efforts to remind them of what they once were._

_We’ve changed our course to pursue an ancient artifact that might prove who I am, or was._

_If in fact it is the god's speaking to me, so that they might speak through me once more._

_Who do you think it would be?_

_Basim thinks I could be Havi, the high one._

_The notion that I might be the high ruler is rather appealing, yet I do not know for certain if I am him at all._

~

_**I need that artifact, these whispers are driving me mad.** _

_Where once my mind was consumed by thoughts of you I find my mind has turned._

_My emotions are unpredictable even to myself._

_These visions warn me of tricksters, saying Loki’s presence is strong._

**_“Be weary of who you trust, it might yet be your doom.”_ **

_That’s the only thing that keeps coming through to me clearly. The rest is hazy, as if clouded by a thick fog._

_To make matters worse, I received word from Dag. He swears that you make yourself out to be the Jarl of Ravensthorpe, and that the people there hold no love for me anymore. He bids me to return with haste and remind them all who the real Jarl is. Yet he warns that most will likely not follow me upon my return; less you bend the knee to me once more._

_I do not know what to do, because I have spent my entire life trusting you._

_Do you really only covet my throne?_

**_I’m not certain I trust anyone any more._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wish Ao3 let us use different fonts. But alas, it does not. 
> 
> So instead I've used the bold lines to stress that Sigurd really is beginning to go a bit bonkers. It's the lack of sleeps that's getting to him, but the visions and Basim aren't helping. 
> 
> Also keep in mind, none of these letters to Eivor are really letters that she receives. Unless it's signed at the bottom, then it is not sent. 
> 
> This is just how Sigurd keeps his journal, it makes him feel like she's still his confidant even when she most definitely is not.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Sweat dripped down my brow as I held the draw on my bow. Keeping my arrow trained on Leofrith while we circled each other.

His broad swords reach was all encompassing, and left little room for my usual reaver fighting style. I could evade his strikes but it was difficult getting past his defenses to bring him down.

No in this battle, distance was my friend.

Ceolbert shifted behind me, the rocks and sand of the shore giving sound to the unsettled movements of the boy, who’d yet to become a man.

This was a fight he didn’t want, and he was still to young to understand why he was watching two people he trusted battling to the death.

If only Leofrith had listened to reason, this wouldn’t be happening.

He should know of his King's abandonment, that this fight wasn’t necessary.

His eyes must have seen me lose focus, because he chose that moment to strike. He charged forward, battle cry on his lips as his sword swooped down to make purchase on my skin. I leapt out of the way too late, the skin on my bicep ripping open, and a grunt of pain swept out with my breath.

He adjusted forward and I twirled to aim at his exposed rear, then hesitated. I was an excellent shot even injured, but if I put one through his head he would be dead. While my life may be the end result he wanted, I was not searching for his. I adjusted down and released my arrow into his back, jumping further away as he swung his weapon towards me again.

_‘Think Eivor, think. I need to take him down so I can get in close with my axe or my flail. If I can disable him then I can win this, maybe without taking his life.’_

A bandage on his elbow peaked out from under one of his arm braces. The memory of our eyes meeting as he was having it tended, flashed into my mind.

Suddenly Sigurd was at my back, whispering the lesson he taught me all those years ago.

_‘Aim for the center of his injury, that's a weak spot. If you hit your mark, you can cause crippling amounts of pain while dealing minimal damage.’_

He had been talking about a bear we were hunting for rations, on one of our earlier vikings. It had, had a wound on one of its hind legs that left it limping. The lesson, a crafty trick for any hunter. Crippling a kill before taking the shot to end it's life made for easier tracking, but if it wasn't done right it could cost you valuable meat, your entire meal, or even your life.

This was a man, not a bear, but he wasn't any less intimidating.

Sigurd was there again, his chant in my head as he tracked my movements.

_'Breath-in, pull, steady, breath-out, release.'_

***Thwack***

His cry of pain was deafening.

My arrow had struck and pierced directly though his elbow, leaving only half the shaft and fletching on one side while the bloodied tip dripped out the other.

It's effect was immediate, his forearm dropped and dangled, useless. The joint that kept it moving was likely shattered, skewered like one would their meat on a spick before a fire.

He hissed and I flinched, guilt gripping my core.

_'If he can ever use that arm again, it will never be without the twinge of pain.'_

Then he fell, landing on his right knee his healthy arm leaning heavily on his sword for support.

One breath, then two, till he tried to stand again. His movement was jerky and slow, as he shifted back and winced, then he lent further off his left leg. His ankle must have twisted awkwardly on the way down. It didn't matter, I was already on the move. Bow slung over my back, my axe and flail drawn. I used my speed and weight to pin him with the chain of my five star and the blade of my axe at his neck.

The message was left unsaid, but clear. Submit or die here.

“Go on then, end it.”

“That’s it? No appeal to your god, or your king?” I whispered into his ear, and I swore I felt him shiver beneath me. My mind danced the line between inappropriate distractions and focused, as it conjured images that involved much less blood and far fewer clothes. 

“I swore an oath to serve Burgred to the death. I fought. I lost. We both know how this goes.”

Odin came to me then, niflheim dimming the world around us as I stood.

 _ **“An honorable thegn fighting a dishonorable war.”**_ He muttered, calculating eyes glued to the man, frozen before us.

_“Burgred abandoned him, betrayed his trust. If I were Leofrith, I would want to know.”_

_**“Why rob him of this last glory? A warrior ready to meet his god and bask in his praise. To live will only lead him to shame.”** _

_“It is not an oath he would keep if he knew the truth.”_

**_“Then choose, Truth… Or glory.”_ **

Just like every time before, as Odin turned away the world resumed spinning and time began ticking.

“Stand, Leofrith. Live to fight another day.”

“What!?” His head raised and our eyes locked, the shock of my words was evident in his irises. His confusion over the fact that he was still breathing was paramount.

“I tried to tell you before the fight. Your loyalty to Burgred is not a loyalty returned. He resigned the crown, and fled to Rome. He’s gone.”

I offered him my hand, and watched as he stared at it for a long moment. My words starting to sink in.

“You… You lie...”

“Why lie to a man seconds from death? What would I stand to gain from that?”

I could see that my words did little to reassure him of their truth. But his head no longer hung in shame from his defeat by my blade.

_‘Just a little more.’_

“He saved himself, and his kin, yet left you to die. All this fighting is for nothing, no one. The throne belongs to Ceolwulf now, he is Mercia's king.”

I kneeled before him, and placed the hand that went ignored on the shoulder of his uninjured arm.

“For him to betray a man so trusted, so loyal… it is a dishonor worth a thousand deaths... Come now, rise, and let not this man decide your fate from leagues away.”

I offered him my arm, and when he took it we rose up together. No longer enemies, but not quite friends.

To repay my kindness he told me of a scroll, with naught but my name on the parchment and where to find it.

Burn it, he said, by the dawn, or the Zealots will never stop hunting me.

I had asked him where he would go, the offer of Ravensthorpe as a new homestead heavy on my tongue.

“I make for Rome.”

' _Ah, I see. He's off to go hunting for the man who offered him nothing but dishonor in the end.'_

A fitting price to pay, to die by the blade of a man who would’ve died for him had he not been such a coward.

“We Norse have a name for men and women with courage like yours. Drengr... I name you one now. And should you ever return... then Ravensthorpe would be honored to welcome a warrior such as yourself, come time you may even call her home. ” I offered anyway. A pull and a tug, the likes of which I hadn't felt from my heart since Sigurd was ever by my side made it's self known. Here is a man that is worthy of my affections, and just like the last I'll let him go. 

He said nothing, but nodded his head. Patting Ceolbert on the shoulder as he passed.

“Until then...”

~

_Dag is irritable, challenging me openly in front of the others all because I finally sat on the throne. A throne left empty for nearly two winters, with no signs of the owner returning any time soon._

_He stormed out when I bid him to answer to the Raven clans people. Let his ear be the guide, judge and jury. There were protest all around that they would hear no other, and once again leading fell to my shoulders._

_It’s been sometime since the battle for Mercia. One moon cycle, maybe two I spent at home in Ravensthorpe guiding and helping her people, before pledging to East Anglia._

_A would be King named Oswald, petitioned for peace in a land overrun with strife and tension between Dane and Saxon._

_I saw in him the potential to be someone great, a King worthy of being recorded in history._

_He could be Oswald the just, the kind, the great, but first we must make him a king._

_I watched as he stuttered in his speeches, how he went ignored by his future subjects, and I couldn’t hold back a groan._

_We have a long way to go._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

As the master worked on changing my bandages my thoughts wandered back to the castle wall a few days back. King Burgred had been unreasonable, there’s no way we could win an honorable battle against those Danes.

We already tried and we failed, our men and their morale dwindled with every battle while their numbers had only grown.

Speaking of their growing ranks, there was that pagan woman who had nearly turned my lords ear with a few simple words. She hadn’t threatened our people, or seemed to wish to battle until my liege had made it clear he would not yield. It was valiant of her, to try to win a war with words and common ground when the scars on her skin and the company she keeps sung of the battles she must have seen... and likely won.

Then there’s the way the men around her all tracked her every move, and hung on to her every word with baited breath. Seemingly all equally ensnared in her web.

I myself had felt the pull of attraction to her bewitching stare. Brilliant blues that rivaled the sky on it’s most beautiful day had shone up at me from below and it was all I could do to swallow my gasp, less my liege should know.

 _*Hiss*_ Pain shot up my arm from my elbow and sat hollow in my chest as the reminder of a battle lost coated me like a second skin.

“Sorry my Lord, some of the cloth has clung to the skin around the cut. Seems I won’t be able to remove the wrapping on your elbow without reinjuring your arm.”

“Just do it” Gritting my teeth I bit back my grunt of pain, then I felt the tingle of eyes trailing my back. It was an eerie feeling that left me uneasy, like I was being sized up by any enemy who was ready for battle, yet I know I’m safe here; sat in the middle of my camp.

Still I turned towards the sensation, my battle weary instincts all screaming at me.

For a second I thought I saw sky blues blazing at me from inside the leaves of the bush behind me. Then the master gave a harsh yank on my mending that made me flinch, and when I looked back she was gone.

_‘I must be insane, I’ve only met the woman once, not even up close... and already my mind is conjuring images of her in places where it’s impossible for her to be. She’s the enemy Leofrith, remember that. She’d sooner see you run through with one of those blades that hung at her hip then to let you run her through with a different kind of sword.’_

“My Lord! There’s news on one of our encampments! It’s been entirely whipped out!”

“What!”

~

“What happened here? Why didn’t they call for help?!”

“It seems most of the bodies were found hidden behind supply crates… or in secluded rooms like this one, only a few bodies were left out in the open... they had been killed at their post… with an arrow to the head.”

“What are you trying to say lieutenant? That our entire encampment of men were killed without any inkling of knowledge that they were even under attack? That out of all these well trained soldiers no one survived?”

“It appears so, Sir.”

*Sigh* “Ask around then, I’m sure the villagers must have seen something like a small party of Danes in the area.”

“We already did my lord, however, the only thing they noticed was a single Dane leaving the encampment a few hours after they entered town.”

“One lone pagan did all of this?”

“Yes sir, that’s what we’ve come to believe.”

“But who could possibly…” The words died on my tongue, the knowledge building up in the middle of my throat: knotting there like a chunk of meat that had been bitten off and improperly chewed; then washed down in a hurry still too large to swallow.

My thoughts wandered to sky blue eyes that had peered out at me from the brush of a bush deep in the middle of my camp that were there and gone in the blink of an eye.

 _‘A single Dane, and no one even knew.’_ A chill crawled up my spine as my mind spiraled around the obvious sinking reality.

‘ _She was there, it wasn’t my mind playing tricks on me. And if this is her handy work it’s a miracle we’re not dead already.’_

~

I stood before a statue of a woman recumbent with an empty basin. Scroll in hand with only a name that was equal parts terrifying and beautiful written on it.

Eivor Wolf-kissed.

I hesitated, if I sold her to the Zealots she would eventually die... Or at least she could.

The thought of her being hunted until her dying breath like that hung heavy on my chest like a newly crafted breastplate that had been added to my armor.

But the decimation of so many of my men also swam through my head.

The reports were never ending, each identical to the last. No man left alive, any rations or supplies were gone and scrolls left untended rifled through. Even with our security efforts doubled, no tripled her reach was all encompassing. If anyone or anything stood in her way, they ended up dead.

She had gained keys and knowledge to our homestead. She knew of our next movements and what we had been ordered to do with our remaining men. Letters that were written and sent long gone, only ever half of the conversation remained... she doesn’t know how I’ve pleaded with King Burgred, told him of everything that I knew.

This isn’t a war that we can win, and the people will turn on us soon.

His last word back was this order.

“Let the Zealots have her head.”

I tossed the scroll away from me, it’s place was in the basin that was my King's decree. I will not dishonor myself for a woman who would rather see my blood coat the ground beneath her feet.

“She’s the enemy Leofith, you’ll do well to remember that…”

I took a breath, then mounted my horse yet even as I pulled the lead away from the ruins I couldn’t help but to look back.

_‘I’ll see that scroll in my dreams for the foreseeable future.’_

~

My heart was racing, and my limbs trembled from fatigue while we were circling each other on that rocky shore. The bow that had been quick to end so many of my men was tracking my every twitch.

Battle hardened steady footwork matched my every step like a mirror, if I moved to the right she would follow to the left. Always maintaining a safe distance that was well outside of my reach but still in range of that taut bow string.

Ceolbert shifted, restless behind her, and I was reminded of my ire. How could she put an end to so many good Saxon men, but defend this boy as if she would fight until her last breath just for him?

Her foot hesitated to copy mine as her focus changed, an opening she hadn’t yielded since the first swing of my sword had torn through the fabric of her cloak when she ducked away.

It was impressive to be sure, not many men were as nimble and quick as she.

The last one I had faced had been Ivarr the Boneless, and I had learned my lesson with him to leave no opening or it may very well be my head.

I charged, and she noticed but not before my blade was already on the path to take her head. She dodged a little too late and my blade drew blood, the guilt and nausea I felt gathering in my gut as my eyes trailed the red liquid that dripped from the tip of my broadsword made me feel like I was Colbert's age and this was my first battle all over again.

 _‘I’m not so sure I can win this fight. But I must not concede, I can not dishonor my family name_.’

 ***Thunk*** Her arrow nailed my armor in the center of my back. It’s tip pressed at the bare skin of my spin, and I realized the position I had left myself in. Images of arrowheads peaking out open mouths that had sung their last song danced in my head.

_‘Why didn’t she take the killing blow?’_

~

‘ _I should be dead right now. If she were anyone else I would be.’_

Instead of death she offered me the truth, gave me the freedom to choose.

Then she named me a Drengr, giving me back the honor that Burgerd stole. She even presented me with the option of her home.

Though I said nothing as a response, that is an offer I will not soon forget. No it was a memory that would cling to me like this crippled limb, that rested uselessly on my lap. 

_'How many times did she have the chance to kill me an didn't, I wonder...'_ An unbridled smile stretched across my face, despite the pain I was still in.

“What a woman she is… for a Dane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay! So this chapter is a special inside on Leofrith. We didn't get any farther than we were in the last chapter, but I thought long and hard about making this teaser. If you like it let me know, because there is going to be a section of time where Sigurd wont be able to "journal" and I'm not certain I'll want to cover the torture. 
> 
> Instead I was thinking of filling that section with Leofrith chapters, and only small chapters of thoughts that Sigurd has. 
> 
> I do have a few other interesting ideas to play with as well but let me know what you think about this one! 
> 
> Also, a lot of my work is in the rewriting so if you happen to read this update right away, please don't forget to reread the chapter before reading the next. Usually it doesn't take me this long to get the next one posted, but as we all know it's the holiday season. 
> 
> So I promise I'll try to update soon!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

_Eivor,_

_I’ve found some semblance of peace with the knowledge that the artifact will not elude me much longer._

_Basim and I have recently uncovered who was the last known person to be in possession of this wondrous relic. It is a woman, a magester by the name Fulke._

_My spirits are high off the hopes of finding the proof that might belay reason for my recurring delusions. Ones that I myself, have come to be more convinced of their absolute certainty with each day that passes._

_~_

_The air grows colder now, winter is nigh upon us and I am reminded of a time when the wind only whispered your name._

_Will you be the one to haunt my dreams tonight? I hope for it, no matter how my mind may break from this excursion, know that my heart has never wandered._ _Something I have come to fear may no longer hold truth for yours._

_I heard news that you faced the Thane in battle, and bested him as I knew you would. Yet my pride for your accomplishments was sullied by the furthered knowledge that you'd let the Saxon live, as well as named him Drangr… He is not of our people, nor is he wise enough to ally with our kind. So I am bewildered that you might make him someone of worth amongst the Danes that he should despise._

_Yes his king abandoned him, but was he not honor bound to die for him?_

_Why then did you deny him the fate which he chose? Did he look that pitiful, battle worn and wounded?_

_Worse yet my mind whisperers that you may have kept him alive just so you could have the chance to warm his bed..._

**_Ah yes, I remember the look you gave him, and while my heart shudders from the strain of the weight which these thoughts bring, I must warn you._ **

**_That’s a marriage I will not honor, ask for it and I'll have his head._ **

"Sigurd? I've found the magester…”

“Wonderful Basim, that’s glorious news, truly!”

“Regrettably it is not, Fulke was recently jailed by Lady Eadwyn.”

“Lady Eadwyn?”

“Yes, the widowed Lady of Oxenefordscire. Seems she offered her insult in some way and refused to pay retribution for it.”

“Call for Eivor, tell her we make for Oxenefordscire and that she is to meet us there.”

“Eivor? Whatever for?”

"She will help us secure both an alliance and the relic." 

"Sigurd, I'm certain I am more than capable of bringing us both those things without the aid of your kin." 

“I do not doubt your knowledge or skills could accomplish either task with little effort. But you are still only one person Basim, you can not be in two places at once and I need you with me, you're the only one who understands.”

“Then I'll call for her, but what happens if she does not come?”

“She’ll come..." I clapped my hand onto his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Less she has left me behind again.”

 _‘Eivor, Eivor, Eivor….'_ My mind taunted and cheered. _'Is it not I who has left you behind instead?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! I'm so glad you're all loving this story and I promise to keep updating as often as inspiration strikes! However, I wanted to do a little shameless promoting for some of my other stories. I don't just write fanfictions I have a few of my own originals in the works as well. I've just begun posting my latest story "The Burning" on FictionPress. So if you like my work and you have some extra time please go check it out! 
> 
> My username is RiverRadagain spelt just like it is here. Or if you're more of an Inkitt follower my username has recently been changed from Hurricane'sRain to RiverRadagain as well. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

These ignorant beasts of men do little favor to the title Dane, their goading is boring and their insults are blatant. If these had been my future brother in laws I'd have killed them both before they opened their large mouths and gorged themselves on my many feasts.

I’ve had half the mind to end them anyway, and find him another bride who’s kin isn’t half the trouble that these two cause.

There are plenty of eligible women in my encampment, though none have the experience needed to lead these Danes in particular. Nor would most take kindly to a match with a boy with only the makings of a man. 

Yet as I watch the little king flounder his way through our traditions, I am impressed by the steadfastness of his mind once it makes a decision. It’s an admirable quality, one that has left me pondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of his affections more than once. 

I myself can be counted among those eligible, after all. A fact that I grow ever more aware of by the day. 

Though he’s naught but a child truly, and far too kind to survive a courtship by my side.

A man like him could be a breath of fresh air from the dunderheads who fancy themselves a match for me.

_‘By the gods Sigurd, I miss your wit.’_

~

Why is it you always send for me on the eve of battle.

It is cruel, that you should summon me to you when I lack the capability to fly in a moment's notice to your side like I still so foolishly wish to.

I can not go. 

I have a baby king to avenge, and a rabid Dane who must be put to an end.

~

_Sigurd,_

_I will come, but not yet._

_I have the means to secure another alley for Ravensthorpe._

_A young Saxon king betrothed to a Dane, whose pledge of marriage has proven to be more trouble than she is worth._

_Her ex-husband now makes a bid for Oswald's lands. He must be dealt with before I can leave with the allied band in hand._

_I will follow soon._

_Eivor._

_~_

"Randvi I have come with great new-s..." My words died there lost in my throat and all thoughts of what I had to say, fled from the sight before me.

I had meant to celebrate my victorious return from Oswald wedding, and share the tale with the woman whom had become my closest friend, before I had to pledge to Oxenefordscire at her husbands be quest.

But the Jarls wife was not pursing the map with a fine tooth comb as she had been all other times before. 

No instead clothes were strewn across the room with the reminisce of haste, leaving a clear trail toward the far back corner of the room.

There tucked in beneath a blanket; lay Hytham and Randvi, still locked together intimately and fast asleep.

' _Well... this was certainly an unplanned development.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: *Chuckles* Okay for those of you that are confused by this I promise I'll make it clear in the next few chapters. Though we will be moving beyond this quickly it will be important in the future and you will get some clarity on how it came to pass in this story line. 
> 
> But what do you make of it? Is this a paring you think would actually work? I do and I'm looking forward to using this characters to explain why.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

“So, Davi. Would you like to tell me exactly what it was that I saw in there? No. Better yet, tell me how this could have happened?”

“It’s a long story Eivor. One I’m sure you don’t have time to listen to right now.”

“You do realize what you two are doing is a huge betrayal to Sigurd don't you? You know our Jarl. YOUR husband. It could get you both banished from the clan or worse killed.”

She flinched away as if my words had physically struck her, and I was reminded of the last time she had appeared this broken and lost.

In that same moment I was struck by the realization that sometime between the battle for Mercia, and my leave for Essexes she had started smiling and laughing again.

Like the woman she was when she had first come to the Ravens clan. Back when her and Sigurds marriage was fresh and hope for the future still seemed to bloom between them.

_‘Much to my dismay.’_

Some time in the years he had been away, she had changed. Become more reserved with her feelings and hardly ever enjoyed herself like she has as of late.

I had wondered what had caused the change while I was away in Ledecestrescire, but now I think it’s clear.

It was because of Hytham.

The way her eyes had chased after him when I dismissed him from the room told me all I needed to know of the feelings that she harbors for him.

_'Just like how mine used to follow Sigurd.'_

Though I do not know how she could ever compare the man she married and find him lacking to Hytham. 

I am burning with rage at the injustice of it all; I would have love to have been given the change to love Sigurd freely but I was denied that chance. No, once my parents died I was no longer fit to be his future wife. There was nothing to gain from marrying us, no strong alliance to form with the bond. So I and my feelings were pushed aside even as they grew ever stronger in me with every moon that passed. 

Oh how I would love to run them both through with my sword: the idea of filleting the flesh from Hytham's bones for this betrayal is so very tempting. But to see Randvi so chest fallen is painful, more so in knowing that I am the cause.

Obviously I have been neglectful of her, or I would’ve seen this coming.

*Sigh*

“Your friendship is important to me Davi. I’ll make the time... I know you, you wouldn’t have done something like this without reason. So start talking.”

~

_Sigurd,_

_Something worth note has occurred in Ravensthorpe, and it has detained me here for a short time._

_I am sorry for the delay, and wish to assure you that my crew and I are set to leave with the rising of the dawn._

_As always, with Odin's blessings and favorable winds I will be there soon._

_Eivor._

I poured over your note a thousand times, and every perusal of the words written there did naught but fan the flames of my ire.

For a moon I have waited, and still yet we sit here idle with our plans awaiting your arrival.

But no more.

We make for a pub tonight where we hope to strengthen our blooming alliance with a saxon man named Geadric, whom we plan to help dispose of Lady Eadwyn with.

Surely your complete lack of concern for the things that I find important is telling.

Basim was right, we should not have waited for you all this time.

It is clear you do not have my best interests in mind.

~

“Heh..”

So maybe rushing in wasn’t the best course of action.

“Seems they have us surrounded, Sigurd. If we take one step out of this hut they’ll sniff us out like a hound on the hunt.”

“How does she do it…”

“Who?”

“Eivor! If she were here she’d sneak right past the guards, and they’d never be the wiser to her presence.”

“Oh. She does that by killing anything that breathes in her general direction. Impressive though it may seem, if there are none left alive to notice your exit then sneaking around seems useless. One might do just as well to run in blades flying.”

“Ha! Come now Basim. Surely you jest, because some might think that you are not very fond of her with how you speak of her accomplishments. And it still takes skill to enter a full encampment unnoticed even if she leaves it destitute.”

“Ahh yes, a particular skill set I taught her back in Norway. I can show you how if you’d like to learn now.”

“No, best we wait for Eivor. I think one failed endeavor is enough for today.”

“If we wait for her we could be stuck here for days.”

“She said she was on her way, I may not know what kept her way the first time but I still trust that she will find us when she arrives. There’s no one better at tracking, not even you Basim.”


End file.
